Roger Federer. College Tennis: What do coaches look for in a recruit? - USTA In his final season, he was named the Big 12 Player of the Year another first for the program. Overall, Nadal has 88 titles to his name, with an astounding 62 of those coming on clay. After Margaret Court, who is the greatest female tennis player of all time with 64 Grand Slam titles (24 in singles, 19 in doubles and 21 in mixed doubles), the second greatest female tennis player of all time is Martina Navratilova, who has 59 Grand Slam titles (18 in singles, 31 in doubles, and 10 in mixed doubles). He and Lutz won five Slam titles. In 1971, Goolagong managed to reach the world No. Heres the beauty of college tennis a supremely individual sport becomes a wonderful team endeavor. 3. He made a huge statement winning a pair of titles at the French Open and Australian Open for his career. Navratilova is the record holder for the most titles in the Open Era with 167 and ended her career with a 1,442-219 record for an impressive win rate of 86.8%. Bob won the singles championship yet he was only their No. 5/21/2021. During the 13 years that she won at least one Grand Slam event, she was absent from the event seven times. Stanford, 1978 Nadal: 8. Chris Evert was once known for 1,309 appearances, a record number. 1 through 4 and gladly made sacrifices for a team that went 28-0 and scored 26 shutouts. 1 ranking for the first time, which he retained for 109 weeks throughout his career. Mac and Bill Maze were the best doubles team in the country. Coming off his NCAA titles, McDonald was awarded a wildcard into the 2016 US Open. We dont believe there is a right or wrong answer, but we think its worthy of consideration and, in some cases, can add significant weight to a players ranking as the best of all time. At age 25, Norrie is entering his prime, and has reached a career-high ranking of 41 in the world. In addition to his Grand Slam success, Federer has claimed 103 ATP titles, the most ever behind Jimmy Connors in the Open Era. For most coaches, the recruiting process begins with academics. Arguably the best tennis player of all time, Roger Federer has done it all. Henin saw success immediately on the WTA tour, winning her first tour event as a wildcard at the Belgian Open in Antwerp. Top 10 Greatest Men's Tennis Players of All Time: 10. Throughout her career, King ended up with a 695-155 record for a win rate of 81.76%. Wolf started his career with OSU as the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and ended it as the Big Ten Player of the Year. Much like Lendl, he sometimes gets overlooked for just how many finals he made without winning the title. When there are significant gaps in achievements from one player to the next, its easier for people to agree on which player is the best. Borg won 11 Grand Slam titles, six at the French Open and five at Wimbledon. He is a three-time Olympic gold medalist (2016, 2020, 2020), three-time . Furthermore, in the coming years, I believe Djokovic will only further cement his position here. A great doubles player on top of singles, hes one of the most well-rounded players of his era. He came back from two sets down to beat him 36, 26, 64, 75, 75. Grand Slams Won: 2. top 50 players 2023; She can establish herself as a powerful server and pro athlete in the field of tennis. Roger Federers most significant rivalries in his career are Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Throughout the years, there have been many great tennis players who have made a name for themselves. In 1962, Margaret Court achieved a career-high ranking of world No. 5/28/2021. 1 ranking in February 2004 and has held that ranking for a total of 310 weeks 237 of which were consecutive weeks where he was virtually unbeatable. 15 Best College Players Of All Time | 2022 Ranking - Kiiky Ralston was the best American player of the early 60s and led the US to 63 Davis Cup glory. First, the age and timing of head-to-head matchups can significantly influence the eventual record between two players. Newsflash: The Bryans became the best doubles team in history. Of course the level of tennis is the other major factor. In addition to the NCAA national championships his senior year, Kwiatkowski helped Virginia to the ITA National Team Indoor Championship. It was the most selfless team Ive hadIt was probably the best team in recent history. The top four players would alternate playing No. During his long 24 year career, the most of any male player in our top ten list, he had many accomplishments, but one of his most significant is his 109 titles, the most in the Open Era. 8, and the considerable Brian Gottfried, ,who rose to No. Cameron Norrie | Texas Christian University. My name is Gavin and I've played tennis for more than 30 years and love to share my knowledge about the sport. The result earned her a total of 129 titles, 67 that were during the Open Era. Tennis Channel/USTA College Tennis Top 25. Access available rankings data at ITA. And college tennis has changed so drastically that its insane to try to come up with an all-time collegiate top 10. Regardless of your stance, the weight of specific stats or accomplishments will undoubtedly influence the ranking of players. Of course, Rafael Nadals career isnt over yet, and at 35 years old, he still has plenty of time to improve upon his standing as the best player of all-time against Roger Federer if he chooses to continue to compete for a few years. Definitely. Bill Dwyre noted, They came from places that tennis does not. Forty of his 44 career tournament wins all came on dirt. Similarly, is it more impressive that a player wins a Grand Slam at the age of 16 or 35? Ralston and Osuna struggled to win the NCAA doubles in five sets. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Wolf turned professional a little over a year ago in July of 2019. In this article, well share our selection of the greatest players of all time, but well also discuss the challenges when ranking and why theyre important to keep in mind. Trinity, 1972 Dick Stockton, Brian Gottfried, Bob McKinley. However, at this stage in his career, Djokovic is particularly unique in that he continues to dominate and remain healthy, which means hes only going to extend his results and further cement his position as the greatest player ever to live. However, he impressed once again, winning another calendar-year Grand Slam in 1969. Pistol Pete never had clay-court success, which is what will ultimately keep him out of the top spot. Others claim that John whos often said to be the seventh-best player ever was the most talented college player of all time. . He took home a total of three French Open titles, and became an icon in Brazil for his consistent play. 8 - Andre Agassi. Regarding her match singles win percentage, Court stands alone, holding the best record at 91.69% through her career and 91.17% during the Open Era. He holds the joint-record for the most grand slams in history and has consistently dominated the court since he turned pro in 1998. However, out of all the finals he reached, he only won eight Grand Slams. Her most notable record related to Grand Slam titles was her 1970 performance, where she won all four Grand Slam events in the calendar year. Still, the teams best singles players roommates Dennis Ralston and Rafael Osuna played each other in the US Nationals for three straight years and together won the 60 Wimbledon doubles crown. Current D2 and D3 Players in the NFL (2022 Update) | NCSA A few years later, in 1995, he achieved the world No. He played college tennis for the University of Southern California (USC) and won the NCAA singles . Wolf turned professional a little over a year ago in July of 2019. And he won the singles at the 63 US Nationals at Forest Hills. 1 and 2 in singles and doubles, and won back-to-back singles titles in 11 and 12. The following year the pair fell just short of repeating their doubles title falling to Middle Tennessee State duo Marco Born and Andreas Siljestrm. Hes very close, and having 20 Grand Slams to his name will keep his name in the discussion for quite a while. Advantage: Federer. As a result, its common for competitive singles players to pull back on doubles as they achieve more success because the money isnt as crucial, and there is a desire to conserve energy, protect their health, and improve their longevity. In 72, four of the eight quarterfinalists Stockton, Gottfried, McKinley and Paul Gerken were Trinitonians. As challenging as it is to make a list of the best female tennis players of all time, there has to be a cutoff, despite many other players significant achievements. This is where he could get a good look at every single return, and dictate points even as the returner. 1 for the first time, a position he held for a total of 170 weeks throughout his career. USC, 2009-2013 Steve Johnson, Yannick Hanfman, Robert Quiroz, Robert Farah. 5 ranking. Tennis players with most titles in the Open Era - Wikipedia He won a total of 16 Davis Cup titles in his 22 year spell as coach of the Australian Davis Cup Team between 1939 to 1967. In team competition, Serena helped the United States to a win in 1999 at the Fed Cup. -See which former college tennis student-athletes are in the women's professional tour. Your email address will not be published. The greatest Australian mens tennis player ever now has an arena named after him in Melbourne. 10. In 2001, he claimed his first significant singles title, and he also managed to make it to the quarterfinals of the French Open that year. John McEnroe was perhaps the sweetest recruiting plum in college history. With that in mind, its common that fans heavily debate the topic of the best male and female tennis players of all time, and our list of the best players will likely differ from others, which is part of the fun. 1 singles slot his junior season, Norrie also claimed TCUs season singles winning percentage record. Ashe won the singles, and then the doubles with Ian Crookenden. In addition to her results in singles, Chris Evert also achieved success in doubles with three Grand Slam titles. Margaret Court retired in 1977 and earned a spot in the International Tennis Hall of fame in 1979. And college tennis has changed so drastically that it's insane to try to come up with an all-time collegiate top 10. In 73, Stanford was on the cusp of greatness. DI Women's Tennis Rankings - ITA | NCAA.com The US Open will be his first tour-level event since resumption of the ATP Tour. 8. HONORABLE MENTIONS: Over the years there have been many fantastic teams. Novak Djokovic has won 19 singles Grand Slams and was ranked world number 1 in 2011. Top Tennis Players Ever. She also won a bronze medal at the Summer Olympics in Syndey, Australia. J.J. Wolf was a force to be reckoned with for the Buckeyes. . He also won ten Grand Slams evenly spread out among each tournament and holds a joint record with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic for the most runner-up appearances at Grand Slam events totaling 11. The men's tennis team has won 12 Big Ten Championships and has made eight All-Americans, 23 NCAA singles appearances, and 11 NCAA doubles appearances. Roger Federer retires: Ranking 10 greatest tennis players of all time 220. Total prize money: $ 20,630,941. 10 Most famous Tennis players of all time - Sportskeeda Moving on to the list comes the 15 best tennis players of all time with three bonus ones. Despite that, she did manage to win a singles gold medal at the Athens Summer Olympics. The deep team included Jeff Austin, two Argentinian Davis Cup players, two Kreisses Mike and Bob and two Cornells Ron and Steve. The Australian reached #1 at a very young age, and his overall career success started younger than most players in general. In total, she holds the most overall Grand Slam titles of any player at 64. She is the only player in history to win nine titles at Wimbledon. Your email address will not be published. However, only 62 of these occurred in the Open Era, so she doesnt have the achievement during this period. To that end, here are a few additional women that didnt make the top ten, but we felt worth mentioning. 1 and helped the US win the 63 Davis Cup. Moreover, 9 of Novak Djokovics and 6 of Roger Federers Grand Slam titles came on this surface. Although its tough to imagine a player who will eclipse the big three on the mens side or the top players on the womens, one thing is for sure it will happen. 41. Rafa by Rafael Nadal, John Carlin. He claimed three Grand Slams and five ATP Masters titles with significant wins against his two biggest rivals, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. In 1999, Venus saw quite a bit of additional success, which would push her year-end ranking to No. However, our analysis suggests a bit of a different story, with her results overshadowing the past performance of other female tennis players who may deserve the title. Trinitys No. 30 College Tennis Coaches Reveal Top Character Traits of Successful He made the decision to turn pro in December of 2019. Despite the challenge, here is my list of the 10 greatest male tennis players of the Open Era1968 to present. USC was led by Steve Johnson, who won 72 straight matches, was ranked No. -The ITF is a key ranking in the junior and professional levels. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. He finished his collegiate career ranked No. And collegian Arthur would go on to become an icon. 163 which is a career record. Its worth noting she also competed during a period where many players didnt compete as often in the Australian Open. 30+ Best 2000s Men's Tennis Players | Top 00s Male Tennis Players - Ranker Evert won two titles at Wimbledon, seven at the French Open, three at Wimbledon, and six at the US Open. During his junior, and final, season in Columbus, Wolf posted a singles record of 35-2 which included an undefeated 11-0 record in conference play. The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey. In 2006, Kevin Anderson and Ryan Rowe became only the third Illinois duo to capture the NCAA Doubles Championship. Goulds takeaway: You never say never, but there is no way a team will ever do what this team did. A year later, in 1987, Stefi Graf won her first Grand Slam tournament at the French Open, defeating Martina Navratilova, another top player and world No. The Australian reached #1 at a very young age, and his overall career success started younger than most players in general. Andre Agassi turned pro in 1986 at the age of 16 and, in two short years, rocketed to a ranking of world No. Ken Rosewall. For such a small school to have two of your all-time top ten teams shows what an incredible job Clarence Mabry and later Bob McKinley did with limited resources. USC, 1967-1968 Andre Agassi had one of the longest careers of any of our top-ranked mens tennis players at a thoroughly impressive 20 years. (Skip to the end of the article to view our top 10 list if you have want to save time). He finished with 11 Grand Slams, and was the first to dominate the French Open and Wimbledon in the Open Era. For starters, many players compete in doubles for the extra prize money. However, he wouldnt play his first ATP tour event until 2004, and hed claim his first ATP title in 2006. Rankings. At the time, the Cardinal (who would go on to win the NCAAs that year) were ranked #1, Trinity #2. He still walked away from the sport with three Grand Slam titles, and recently made a comeback to continue playing the game he loves. Hottest Female Athletes. Hes another casualty of the Roger Federer era, constantly going up against him and other greats during any deep runs in tournaments. Off of clay, his main rivals are superior. However, Evert posted a handful of impressive results as early as 1970 while competing as a junior, including a win over world No. 2 at USC. Titles can be any combination of singles and doubles, so the combined total is the default sorting of the lists.The current top-level events are on the ATP Tour for men and the WTA Tour for women. The Australian finished his career with five Grand Slams, but is often overlooked by some of the greater players from his country. -These polls use voters to determine the best 25 men's and women's teams in Division I. Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Rankings-Rankings Homepage-The ITA lists the top teams and players in the country at all levels of college tennis. Furthermore, Federer has notched 1,251 match wins with a winning rate of 81.98%. In the Olympics, Roger Federer has a silver and gold medal. Born on August 12, 1971, Pete Sampras is an American tennis player who was considered by many to be the best tennis player of all time at his retirement. Outside of singles, Navratilova has one of the most impressive doubles careers in history. Its up to any individual to determine how they perceive these factors when ranking the greatest players of all time. Plus John Isners Georgia Bulldogs, Kevin Andersons Illini and recent Virginia Cavalier teams all earned A+s. Three Grand Slam titles and 33 career titles only tell part of the story of Arthur Ashe. In 65, even without Pasarell, the Bruins broke USCs three-year stranglehold on the championships. In that case, Federer may have won significantly more titles because he gave up so many to both of these players. Like Rod Laver, Ken Rosewell came along when the Open Era was just beginning. Can you imagine Federer and Nadal on the same college team? Overall, Lendl earned 94 titles and is currently the third most in the Open Era behind Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer. In total, Sampras claimed 64 titles, 762 wins, and had a 77.4% win record. Toward the end of 2003, Henin managed to find her way to the world No. As fans, many of us have our favorite players we appreciate for their style of play, how they present themselves, their off-court demeanor, and a variety of additional criteria. 12 Best Tennis Players of All Time [2023 Update] 1 in the singles and doubles Oracle ITA Rankings. He only won five Grand Slams, but thats because he was playing right during the start of the Open Era. Ranked 128 in singles, Bradley has achieved so much success while on tour. These days, the Australian Open is a staple and a guaranteed stop for every player who qualifies. 10. 10. Sampras is well known for his rivalry with fellow American Andre Agassi, and it was unique because of Sampras dominant serve and Agassis return. Somewhat surprisingly, tennis didnt make it back into the Olympics until 1988, 64 years later. While still at USC, he managed to win three doubles Grand Slams and reach two other Slam finals. better than all others in quality or value. Now let's look at how many weeks each player has been rated the No. First, he only played the Australian open twice throughout his entire career. Every generation produced great tennis stars, dating all the way back to the 1890s. He was a strong all-around player who could dominate in doubles as well. 9 - John McEnroe. Roger Federer. Book. Her Grand Slam titles include 11 at the Australian Open, five at the French Open, three at Wimbledon, and five at the US Open totaling 24. Smith, the Leaning Tower of Pasadena, went on to win Wimbledon and the US Open and become No. She holds seven titles at the Australian Open, three at the French Open, seven at Wimbledon, and six at the US Open. John McEnroe is another of the greatest male tennis players of all time. Getting to Grand Slams finals was never an issue for Ivan Lendl. Joe is the best Tennis Pro I've ever had. However, she was denied the opportunity by the WTA due to age restrictions. 1 ranking, and she earned this spot for a total of 260 weeks throughout her career. Top Men's Tennis Programs. Nadals career started early. He was first ranked No. 9. Jimmy Connors. Shop official NCAA team and championship gear . But for years Trinity did not win an NCAA title because Wimbledon was scheduled at the same time. $15 million. 21 in the world. A. andfor Legend. Yet if you lose a top player, all can be lost. This article lists the tennis players who have won the most tour-level professional tournament titles since the Open Era began in 1968. Roger Federer. If we dont dig deeper to understand the quality of titles, we may undervalue a players achievements because a win at a 1000 level is significantly more impressive than a 250. He finished his collegiate career ranked No.